Media Soup

This video created by Zach Hanover, Alex Holt, Samantha Honig and Julie Hyman, generated a good deal of class discussion in SMPA-112 Intro to Digital Media this Spring.

I was mixed on all of the “stylistic” things that the students tried here, but they were well thought out, and maintained the emotional impact . . . still, it was interesting to get the diversity of views on what they did. In the end, for me, I think you should only put so many spices in the stew, or it may be over seasoned.

More to the point, see what you think:

Everything Went Black from Alex Holt on Vimeo.

I was quite impressed with this video that Joe Sangiorgio and Mike Stone produced in SMPA-112 Introduction to Digital Media. It’s worth noting that the team had a respectable cut to screen on 2 days after the event – great job guys!

It is over a week ago now that I woke up to the disturbing subject line in my inbox: “Documentary Institute Emergency.”

I read on to learn that The Documentary Institute at the University of Florida, the innovative program where I received my graduate degree had been completely de-funded due to budget cuts.

In the days that have followed, alums and current student have waged a letter-writing campaign and spoken on behalf of the Institute at university senate and board of trustees meetings.

It is not known yet if anything can be done to save the institute.

Several sympathetic articles have been published in Florida newspapers:

http://www.alligator.org/articles/2008/05/15/news/uf_administration/080515_doc.txt

http://www.filmstew.com/showArticle.aspx?ContentID=17249

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-myword1308may13,0,7992274.story

At least a couple clear ironies emerged: at the same time this ground breaking program is losing funding, UF has just signed a big new deal with ABC to have an on-campus bureau, and the university present received an annual bonus last year equal to 2/3 of what the Institute needs to keep going.

No one knows at this point what the future holds for the DI, or the visionaries who run it, but it is a heart-breaker for me and many others that this program that has meant so much to us personally and for our careers could be coming to a close.

Thank you, Churchill, Sandra, Cindy, and Cara for all you have done, and please continue to fight.

The first iteration of SMPA 131 – Online Journalism Workshop is complete.

We have posted all of the student work here:

http://onlinejournalismworkshop.com/

So, we were going to the Hirshorn anyway, when the poster for this caught my eye.

What a unique experience. I mean, we are accustomed to sitting in the dark with people watching a movie. We are are accustomed to walking around a well-lit gallery with people looking at art. But what about this? Walking through a darkened gallery with people. Bumping into them. Becoming disoriented. It was somewhat reminiscent of a haunted house.

Which is not to diminish the works of art/films themselves. Some of which I liked more then others, but it was the overall experience of the exhibit that really stuck with me. The red curtain at the entrance, with museum goers silhouetted onto it – are they part of the audience or the art? Looking through a mass of people to glimpse a more popular piece; an interactive piece where the audience needs to figure out that to get the full effect one must look back toward the projector; and the gasp of audience members as a 4-foot project phallus swings into view from a low angle.

The exhibit ends on May 11, with Part II: Realities to follow in July.